Through the lens of Devi Durga, the timeless icon of womanhood, sacrifice, beauty, faith, Constance, valor and courage, Anurekha Ghosh refracts and re-weaves the many strands of story, epic, myth, womanism and received lore. The production commences with Lord Shiva – Lord of time and death is Mahakaal, an avatar of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is the head of planets.  Shiva is believed to assume two states – the samadhi (Superconscious) state and the tandav or lasya dance state. The samadhi state is His nirgun (Non-materialized) and tandav or lasya dance state is His sagun (Materialized) state. The defeated Gods (Brahmha, Vishnu and Shiva) in their extreme state of anger emitted shinning rays and all the light, brilliance and energy gave birth to a wonderful female figure with majestic face, 10 arms, riding a lion – DURGA or DEVI or Sakti –the essence of all deities.   Nine women are sketched in this work as nine appellations of DURGA: Shailaputri, Bharmacharini, Chandra Ghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kaal Ratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhidatri, who holds them all together. The descent of Durga aims at the destruction of the demons (Mahisasura, Shumbha, Nishumba and Raktabeeja) and the liberation of the society from their cruelties.

The choreography draws inspiration from a rich kinetic landscape of movement including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, South Indian martial arts along with weapon work – Kalaripayattu, Modern Dance and Purulia Chaau, building upon the different perspectives on Goddess worship and Indian feminism. The 9 avatars of DURGA references the representation of NAVA DURGA (an exploration of the divine feminine) in a modern context connecting to the multiple faces of today’s woman, offering a journey into the inherent struggle, aesthetic eternities, exploring the aura, the grace and the fighting spirit of the feminine transcendental.

Goddess Durga is the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Since time immemorial she has been worshipped as the supreme power of the Supreme Being.